The Rebuild
by pandag
Summary: Jack rebuilt his body from a very small part of himself - what if that was not all?  Mostly Torchwood, but Luke and Mr. Smith from the Sarah Jane Adventures feature in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The Rebuild

Chapter 1

Deep in the depths of the ruined Torchwood Hub, something moved. Instinct guided it to a space in the debris big enough for its requirements. Once there it waited

And waited

And waited

Until it was joined by another, and the pair united… and waited

Over the next week they had been augmented by other parts.

The thing they formed howled. By now it was human in form, though there was little sign of skin, there was blood and innards, which tried to form themselves into a complete being.

Another long wait then a pair of eyes opened. Captain Jack Harkness looked at darkness. Blearily he remembered the explosion, and soon realised that he was buried in the wreckage of the hub, and that he was going to have to dig himself free somehow.

It took more than a day, and many bruises and cuts before Jack reached the dockside of Cardiff Bay. It was raining, which was uncomfortable on his bare skin, but also kept tourists away from the bay as he rushed to a less conspicuous spot. It was not difficult to work out where to go – the only place away from the hub where he could feel warm and safe.

Jack let himself into Ianto's flat. At one time the boy had resented his ability to do this, and worried about security, but he had never changed the locks, and Jack knew that the resentment had died as they grew closer. Ever since an experiment with BDSM which had ruined Jack's clothes, he had kept spares at Ianto's flat. Disappointed to find the flat empty, he hurried into the shower to wash off the dust and dirt from the hub that the rain hadn't reached, before curling up naked on the bed and falling into a deep, recovering sleep.

He woke hungry, and headed for the fridge. That was when he started to worry. The milk was out of date. If it had been his fridge it would not have been surprising, but this was Ianto's fridge. Mr. Organised! Looking around he realised that Ianto had not been back to the flat since they had left it together. They had stopped there for a quick shag on the way back to the hub from the hospital. As usual, Ianto had taken his time dressing, and Jack had thumbed through a magazine. The magazine was still on the floor where he had left it, not tidied away. Jack realised that he had no idea how long his recovery had taken this time. He remembered the pain of the explosion and knew that the damage caused would have taken quite a while to repair itself. He remembered sending Ianto and Gwen away, hoping that they had time to get clear, now he was concerned that they hadn't.

Jack picked up Ianto's phone, thankful that he had a landline, and punched in his lover's mobile number. He got an answer message, and worried more. He got the same response from Gwen's machine. Needing to take action he scooped up some change from the leather box that Ianto used to keep it in (to avoid spoiling his suits), he hurried out for a toast and coffee, taking the opportunity to pick up a paper. The paper showed that it had been more than a week since his 'death' and he worried about his colleagues.

On his way back to the flat he picked up a local paper, and leafed through it – looking for news about the explosion. He found it on one of the inside pages. Politicians had started to worry about what to with the remains littering their smart plaza, but there was no news on any deaths or injuries, which would by then have been no longer news.

He tried Ianto's phone twice more, leaving a message letting Ianto know where he was, then phoned Gwen. This time it was picked up, and he sighed with relief to hear Gwen's voice.


	2. Chapter 2

The Rebuild

Chapter 2

'Hi' Gwen answered the phone without looking to see who was calling.

She heard a sigh, then Jack's voice 'Gwen, are you okay?'

'Yeah, I'm fine. Where are you?'

She was surprised to hear his voice – two days ago he had left, full of despair, saying that he was going to travel the world in an attempt to dispel his memories of the week of the 456.

'Ianto's flat. Do you know where he is? Did he get away?'

'Oh God' Gwen thought, 'He's flipped'

'Stay there, Rhys will come and get you, then we can explain all'

Jack could hear the confusion in her voice, and it did little to ease his concern about Ianto. He had not failed to notice that she didn't answer his question about his lover.

Rhys picked him up, in a rental car, and drove him to their flat. Unlike his usual self, Rhys was very quiet on the journey, speaking only when Jack spoke, and clearly uncomfortable. Jack had thought that Rhys was over their previous differences, and was unsure how to deal with Rhys in this mood.

At last they reached their destination, and Rhys led Jack into the flat. There followed a few minutes of misunderstanding as Gwen asked Jack about his travelling, and why he cut it short, and Jack told her about being resurrected inside the hub and freeing himself. Eventually Rhys went to make coffee, calling to Gwen for help.

Whispering, so that Jack could not hear him, he asked:

'Didn't Johnson say that Jack resurrected from some small parts?'

'Yeah, why?'

'I think this is a completely different Jack, made up from different parts, those left behind in the rubble.

'Nah!' Gwen was quick to dismiss this theory, then thought about it. 'It makes more sense than him having lost his memory in that short a time. You could be right, we will have to tell him the truth.' Her face fell 'Oh no! We've got to tell him about Ianto's death. Take the coffee through, I am going to contact Denise Riley'

'The bird that took over from Brian Green?' Rhys shrugged, trusting his wife, and carried coffee for Jack and himself into the front room. He handed Jack his black, no sugar, and sipped his own, uncomfortable with the silence, but for once unable to think of anything to say.

In the kitchen Gwen used her laptop to phone Denise Riley – quickly working her way through the staff whose job was to prevent unwanted calls, both Torchwood and Gwen Cooper were on the approved list. Gwen persuaded Denise to download the footage of the 456 tank to her laptop, feeling that she may need to prove to Jack what had happened, if what Rhys suggested was true. She washed her face, took a few deep breaths and went through to meet her colleague, and friend, knowing that she was going to hurt him, and share his mourning for the second time in less than a week.

Jack stood as she came in. For the first time since she had known him, he looked uncertain, and unhappy.

'Gwen, talk to me. What is going on? Where is he? What's happened? Is he safe?'

Gwen took another deep breath, unsure where to start, knowing that she was going to hurt him, badly. Briefly she described Rhys' theory.

Understandably, Jack was disbelieving – it had taken her a few minutes to accept that it was probably true, and Jack, always quick to believe himself unique, found it much more difficult to accept that there were two of him wandering Earth at that time.

'Well if you are right (and I am not convinced) where is Ianto?'

Gwen felt her eyes fill with tears.

'I'm sorry Jack, he died'

Instinctively she put an arm round his shoulders, and as he stood and leaned into her, she felt Rhys' hands on both of them, comforting and supporting as he had done so many times in the last few days.

'Jack he died in your arms, even if it wasn't the you that is here. I have film if you want to see it, for closure, but don't if it will hurt too much.'

Jack looked at her with tears in his eyes

'Please show me'

Gwen fetched the laptop, and ran the film which Denise Riley had sent her. Jack remained standing, supported physically and emotionally by the people with him. As Ianto, and the Jack on the screen died, Gwen turned off the laptop and held Jack, feeling Rhys' arms holding both of them, sympathy in his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

The Rebuild

Chapter 3

Much later, after a home-cooked chilli con carne (Rhys didn't always cook pasta) Gwen suggested that Jack spend the night in their flat, since she wasn't happy about him being alone with his thoughts. He lay on their couch, but sleep would not come, and she heard him tossing restlessly, before putting his shoes on and heading for the door.

She hurried after him.

'Where you off to Jack?' her tone was friendly, and he realised that she was not accusing him, just concerned.

'I can't sleep – I am off to Constantine's to get some coffee.'

'Give me a second to get some clothes on and I'll come with. I'm not sleeping either'

Jack waited, not sure if he wanted her company, but aware that Gwen was trying to help.

Constantine's wasn't pretty, but the chairs were comfortable and the night time customers didn't bother each other. Jack remembered Owen* mentioning once that he spent some late night time there, filling in long nights, and the coffee was reasonable. He fought with his feelings, getting them under control as he realised that he would never taste Ianto's special coffee again.

He held a chair for Gwen to sit, and went to get coffee.

'It won't help you sleep' Gwen grinned at him, knowing that he didn't sleep anyway.

'Won't Rhys miss you?'

'If he wakes up, which is unlikely, he'll assume I'm with you'

'Will he be jealous?'

'Not any more' Gwen laughed as Jack pouted.

They sipped coffee in a comfortable silence for a while.

'Have you any thoughts about what you want to do next?' Gwen asked.

'Haven't really had time yet.'

'No of course not'

'What is 'he' doing?'

'Travelling, meeting people, trying to forget'

'Dealing with the guilt'

Gwen nodded, sadly.

'Have you got any plans?'

'Not really. I did think of trying to build up Torchwood again, but I am not sure where to start.'

'The world still needs to be ready?'

'Yeah' She paused 'Whatever that means'

'Would you like my help?'

'You sure? You don't feel a need to escape Cardiff and head for pastures new?'

'No. I feel Ianto is here, part of the city, and Torchwood still needs me – even if it doesn't exist any more'

'We're here. It exists. We can't run it on our own though'

'Life is full of challenges'

'And you like to meet them'

Jack grinned. This time it was more like the Harkness grin she knew and loved, and hope awakened in her that he would recover, and so would the mad job that she loved.

Coffee finished, they headed back. Jack shooed Gwen back to bed and then sat, thinking of the project ahead of him. Pondering what he should do for the best.

* This happened in the book 'Skypoint' by Phil Ford.


	4. Chapter 4

The Rebuild

Chapter 1

Late next morning Rhys came into the room, wearing a tatty dressing gown – Gwen having insisted that he not walk round the flat naked, as he usually did, and he didn't own a pair of pyjamas. The dressing gown had come from a hotel, many years ago!

After bustling in the kitchen for a bit he handed Jack a cup of coffee. To Jack's surprise it was just how he liked it – strong and black with no sugar. Rhys explained that he had made coffee in the 'new hub,' the old Torchwood One warehouse in North London.

Rhys grinned at Jack, having been informed of their plans by Gwen.

'Rebuilt Torchwood yet'

Jack grinned back. I've a few ideas, but I will have to talk some of them over with Gwen.

'Breakfast first!' insisted Gwen, joining them.

Later, Jack and Gwen pushed ideas around.

'We need computers. With luck the software is still on the servers.'

'Yeah, it is, we used it in London. The computers are probably still up there'

'If you don't mind handling stolen goods' quipped Rhys.

'First thing we need is premises, any ideas, Gwen'

'Not that we can afford – can we still get at Torchwood funds?'

Jack smiled, almost furtively. 'I think I can manage that, although I will have to travel to London to contact an acquaintance. She may have ideas for another home for Torchwood too. Will your Westminster mate be able to help us with identity protocol until we can get the computers up and working?'

'I'm sure Ms Riley will be able to do that. I'll ring her straight away'

Before leaving for work, Rhys acknowledged that he would be able to borrow a van to bring their equipment from London over the weekend.

As Rhys left, Jack, fortified with a full Welsh breakfast and more coffee, started to plan.

His first move was to borrow enough money from Gwen to purchase a mobile phone

A few strategic phone calls ensured that Jack by the weekend had a new bank account, and credit cards in his own name, and in Torchwood's, and that both he and Gwen now had Torchwood I.D. cards. Jack did not want to confuse his 'other self' so kept the new funds separate.

Gwen didn't mean to overhear Jack's conversation, but when she returned to the flat after shopping, he was busy on the phone, and didn't hear her come in. Although he had the by now traditional Jack Harkness charm, his manner was almost subservient and peppered with 'ma'ams' and then she heard 'your majesty' and quickly backed out of the room. Jack had mentioned that the Doctor had visited the Queen a number of times, but had never mentioned meeting her himself.

She backed away and unpacked the shopping, waiting for him to finish the call. Having put the phone away, Jack went into the kitchen, putting an arm round Gwen to reach into her bag and take a carrot, which he munched on raw.

'Didn't you have enough breakfast?'

'Yeah, but nibbling stolen food is more fun'

Gwen knew he was right, so kept quiet about that and changed the subject.

'Did you reach your friend?'

Jack nodded, and swallowed a bit of carrot.

'I said acquaintance, not friend. We should have new premises soon, she is going to pull a few strings, anonymously.'

'Good, Rhys is getting fed up with Torchwood being discussed around here'

Jack grinned 'I had noticed'

'And it doesn't stop you doing your best to annoy him with it'

Jack shrugged, unrepentant.


	5. Chapter 5

The Rebuild

Chapter 5

On Saturday Jack drove Rhys and Gwen over to the Harwood compound to pick up the promised truck. Jack was surprised at the size of the promised lorry, but Rhys knew how much stuff they were going to have to transport, and had to safely carry three passengers, including the lad that Jack intended to bring back with them.

Jack and Gwen had taken possession of the new Torchwood base on Wednesday. A large Victorian house outside of Cardiff, but close enough for easy access to the city. Jack and his 'acquaintance' had decided not to put Torchwood back in the centre of Cardiff after recent events! The house had been adapted as far as possible, and they had no trouble contacting builders at short notice. Rhys was impressed, and knowing his wife and Jack, assumed that some ruthless tactics had been employed. He had no intention of asking what.

Several of the upstairs rooms were now well-equipped bedrooms with en-suite. Jack was going to have one of these, definitely an improvement on his cabin in the old hub, and the lad who was coming to help set up the computers would have another for a time.

Jack was quite impressed with how his team, and Rhys, had outfitted the warehouse in such a short time, and he and Rhys were both hot and sweating by the time the lorry was loaded. Gwen was frustrated because they would not her lift anything heavier than a cable lead or DVD rack, both men repeatedly concerned about 'her condition' while she felt fine, and patronised by their attitude.

Jack directed Rhys to Ealing, then to Bannerman Road, where they stopped outside number thirteen. A young lad, in his late teens, came out, closely followed by an older lady, who greeted Jack with a hug and kiss. Jack hugged her back, with warmth, and then shook the boys hand.

'Hello Luke, nice to meet you in the flesh'

'And you, Jack. Come in and meet Mr. Smith'

Rhys and Gwen were left standing as Jack followed him upstairs.

'Hi, I'm Sarah Jane – and that was Luke, my son'

'I saw you on the screens when we were trying to reach the Doctor. I'm Gwen, this is my husband, Rhys'

'Come on in, I expect the boys will be busy for a while. Unless you want to join them playing with computers'

Gwen and Rhys shook their heads.

'Come and have a drink then. Tea or coffee?'

Gwen chose her usual coffee, Rhys had tea. They chatted for quite a while to Sarah Jane, sharing some of their alien exploits.

'Gwen, you will look after him, won't you. He's only young.'

'Of course I will, as far as I can, although from what you tell me, he is quite capable of looking after himself.'

'He is, but that won't stop me worrying. Especially if I don't hear from him for a while'

Gwen laughed.

'I will try to make him phone home regularly – will that do?'

'Of course' Sarah Jane smiled in return, and went back to idle chit-chat with the couple.

Soon Luke and Jack came down, carrying a laptop.

'Right, let's hit the road boys and girls.'

Luke hugged his mother, and Jack, like Gwen before him, promised to look after Luke, while not promising to keep him out of danger – Sarah Jane, Luke and Jack all knew that would have been pointless.

After the hug, Sarah Jane asked them to wait a minute, and ran back into the house, emerging a with a squeezy vinegar bottle, which she solemnly handed to Luke.

Without a word, Luke grinned at her, and headed for the lorry.

Gwen was unable to control her curiosity.

'Why the squeezy bottle?'

'Vinegar, in case of Raxacoricofallapatorians' *

'Good move' Jack laughed.

Gwen and Rhys gave up on that discussion, and the group headed back to Cardiff.

*Slitheens and Blathereens have been destroyed by vinegar on both Doctor Who and the Sarah Jane Adventures.


	6. Chapter 6

The Rebuild

Chapter 6

When they arrived at their new base Luke was all for unpacking the equipment and setting up the equipment as soon as possible, but the others were exhausted from loading it. Outvoted, he allowed them to show him his new room, and joined them in a takeaway.

Jack found one of the snags of their new location – he had to pay a hefty delivery charge!

Next morning, refreshed, the three men carried the computer equipment into the basement (formerly the wine cellar) of their new base, and Luke and Jack disappeared until lunch time.

As they ate a bacon sandwich, they discussed leads, plugs and something they referred to as 'Mr. Smith.' Again Gwen found it impossible to talk to them in anything resembling English, and let the conversation flow between the pair, as she and Rhys held a slightly one-sided conversation about Cardiff shops.

Gwen was trying to bring some order to the chaos of builders and decorators bills and various furniture shops, and cursing Jack for his lack of order when he called her down to the basement.

'Gwen, this is our new computer, like Tosh's it is partly a sentient alien, which I now know is called a Xylok. Luke and his mother have been using one for years, and apparently they can breed when they want to – so we have 'son of Mr. Smith'

'We need a name for it' added Luke 'any ideas?'

'Why not call it after the most organised human I have ever known: Mr. Jones?'

She glanced at Jack, nervously, unsure whether he would take this as a tribute to Ianto or an imposition.

Luckily for her he was in favour, and shouted: 'Mr. Jones, we need you'

To Gwen's amazement, a screen lit up, and a voice said 'Hello Jack Harkness, Luke, Gwen Cooper, Rhys Williams.'

Rhys decided enough was enough, and headed home, leaving Gwen to be instructed on the workings of 'Mr. Jones'

They found a local restaurant for their evening meal, where Rhys joined them.

'Pity we can't just throw the paperwork at Mr. Jones without having to type it in' said Gwen, who had spent more time on that in the afternoon.

'Lois' suggested Rhys.

Gwen brightened up immediately.

'You're right' she smiled at him. 'She will be ideal if she doesn't mind moving up here.'

Jack looked at them, blankly.

'Who?'

'You spoke to her briefly on the phone when she was working for the home office – Lois Habiba – later she helped us a lot. She lost her job because of it, and if it hadn't been for Denise Riley she would be in prison now.'

'She organised an escape plan in no time flat' added Rhys

'She has a lively curiosity' Gwen said, rolling her eyes, 'but she puts it to good use when she needs to. We might have to be careful what we do with passwords if we do employ her.'

Jack had been racking his brains, running over the day before his 'death.'

'I remember, it was her first day, she sounded a bit confused, understandably'

'That's her. Do you think it is on, if she is not working I could get her to meet us so you can get to know her.'

'Yes, it's worth a try. Mind you, if her curiosity is that good she will probably find a way to get our passwords.' He wanted to add 'as Ianto did' but decided not to – he didn't know if Gwen knew that Ianto had her passwords, as he had Jack's and everybody else's right from the beginning.

Gwen sensed his abstraction, and they ate in silence for a while.

Three days later Jack, Gwen and Luke sat with Lois in a pub not far from their new base.

Jack immediately decided that the attractive woman would fit in with the rest of the team. Her bubbly personality led him to take a shine to her, and he could see that Luke felt the same. He knew Gwen's opinion already, and the fact that Rhys had recommended her counted as well, even if Rhys was not officially on the team.

While they were eating starters he asked her if she wanted the job, and by the time they reached desert, all that was needed was to sign the paperwork. He had phoned the base and asked Mr. Jones to have it ready when they arrived. Lois was on board by the end of the afternoon, and had already organised a filing cabinet, and was starting to fill it!

With the help of Mr. Jones she had soon found herself a flat in Cardiff, and he managed to organise the move so that it took place at the time she wanted it, which took some miracle working. The computer later told Gwen that it would be easier to organise a nuclear missile launch than a well-timed move from London to Cardiff.

Note: For those not in the know, Mr. Smith, the computer, is a central character in The Sarah Jane Adventures, as is Luke (who also appeared in The Stolen Earth and The Journey Home).


	7. Chapter 7

The Rebuild

Chapter 7

Usually Jack's meetings were casual, even when he tried to make them formal his attitude doomed his attempts to failure, but this time he was determined to keep the meeting on track. Their new 'board-room' was very modern and minimalist, and he summoned all the staff and Rhys there one Sunday morning.

Lois came in with a tray of coffee, and a tea for Luke. Jack and Gwen had trained her in the use of the top-of-the-range coffee machine they had insisted on, but since they did not know how Ianto had achieved his own level of perfection the coffee was good, but not as they had been used to.

She sat, and Jack called the meeting to order, looking grave, with a little bit of embarrassment mixed in. Sensing this, Gwen refrained from her usual teasing, and listened to what he had to say.

After a minutes lip-biting, as he tried to decide how to break this gently, Jack decided to go straight into his announcement.

'I am going to change my identity.'

He looked at the open mouths around the table and continued,

'Some of you know that there is another Captain Jack Harkness on Earth at the moment. If I continue to run Torchwood, somewhere along the line there is going to be confusion, not to mention security problems if there are two Captain Jack's around. I am going to be away for a week or two, organising this. I am sure you can manage without me. When I come back we can start using the Torchwood organisation as it should be used.'

He cleared his throat, and looked at Gwen.

'That is why I have insisted on everything being in your name, Gwen. You are going to run Torchwood, I will be a member of your team'

Gwen looked at him in shock, her alarm increasing as she remembered his return after leaving Torchwood before, when he had immediately taken back control of the group.

Jack looked at them all, then turned and left the room. Before any of them had recovered from their shock, Jack's car was out of the drive and on his way.

Much later, thinking it over, Gwen could see a little of why Jack had come to that decision, but she resented the fact that she had not discussed it, but had thrown her in charge so suddenly. It was only after a long chat with Rhys, who had decided that since she was now in charge they could afford to go out for a meal, that she realised that Jack had only helped her do what she had been intending to do anyway. She was hurt that she had no idea when he was coming back – or even IF he was coming back, then realised, that as once before, when he had gone off to find the Doctor, she would just have to get on with running Torchwood on her own.


	8. Chapter 8

The Rebuild

Chapter 8

The team, small as it was, quickly came together. Luke surprised Gwen by his willingness to join her in action, and in spite of his obvious studiousness, he soon proved to be used to action, and was a big help in weevil hunting. His knowledge of aliens proved useful when the usual debris fell from the temporal rift, which did not appear to have been damaged by the hub's explosion. She was not sure whether to be pleased by that or not.

'Anything new?' Gwen asked Lois, entering her office.

'Mr. Jones has come up with a suggestion for a doctor, but he wants to talk to you about it.'

'Okay, I'll speak to him in a minute. Anything else?'

'Nothing I can't handle'

Gwen smiled, confident of Lois' ability, and knowing that she would refer anything she wasn't sure about.

Gwen shuffled paperwork for a spell, checked on Luke's latest project (trying to pretend she understood any of it) and then walked down to speak to Mr. Jones. She knew that he could hear her, and see her, with CCTV anywhere in the building, but somehow felt more comfortable talking to him in his own area. She knew it was illogical, and the others thought her mad, but it suited her to do that, and ensured that she was not overheard, which on occasion was an issue.

'Hello, Mr. Jones, Lois says you have an idea for me'

'Hello, Gwen' the computer, as always, greeted her courteously. 'I have indeed, but I am not sure you will want to go with it'

'Tell me.'

'Dr. Plummer worked for the Pharm* before it closed. Martha Jones stated that she showed reluctance to hurt Martha, and was not happy with what they were doing to aliens. She has knowledge of alien medicine which could prove useful, as well as human medicine, also she has recently lost her job at St. Helen's hospital, so I know she's available.'

To Gwen, anyone connected with the Pharm was automatically associated with Owen's death, and the horrors he had faced afterwards. She realised why Mr. Jones had been unsure of her reaction.

'I will need to think about that'

'I understand, Gwen. There is no hurry.'

Gwen returned to her office, asking Lois to field any calls. Lois was surprised by this request, but did as her employer wanted.

Gwen sat at her computer desk, thinking, then played a couple of rounds of solitaire. This was a habit of hers that she kept quiet from her employees, and from Rhys, but it kept her fingers busy while she thought deeply.

At last she reached her decision, and returned to the basement.

'Contact her, Mr. Jones, I shouldn't hold what happened in the past against her – none of it was her fault'

'That's how I saw the situation Gwen.'

As Gwen returned to her office, Lois looked up.

'Are you okay to telephone UNIT back, or shall I put them off?'

'I suppose I ought to speak to them. Do you know who I have to phone?'

Lois looked at a note on her desk.

'A Doctor Martha Jones'

Gwen brightened up immediately. She did not speak to Martha very often, but they enjoyed their chats.

'Hello, Martha. What's up?'

'Hi Gwen. How're you doing?'

'Oh fine, fine. More or less'

Martha knew the pressures Gwen faced, and also that she was dealing with them very well, so did not take that comment too seriously.

'We have a problem with one of our staff at UNIT, or rather, with his family'

'And we can help?'

'I hope so. He is an alien – a Tonikan.'

Gwen had never heard of a Tonikan, but a picture appeared on her screen from Mr. Jones, who had, as usual, listened to anything happening in the base, including phone calls. The picture showed a yellow-skinned being with four arms and a wide mouth. Then shifted to a human looking appearance. Oscillating between the two, Mr. Jones wrote underneath – Aliens who can easily change their appearance to look human.

'Okay, Martha I have a picture up, what's your problem?'

'Graham, that's what we call my colleague, has a wife who lives in town. They recently had a baby. Unfortunately although Graham and his wife can automatically appear human, it will be a while until the baby can. This is okay while she is tiny, and can be wrapped up, but before long she will be toddling, and they will have to hide her somewhere until she gets old enough to realise that she must disguise herself, and has the ability to do so. Jack told me, before he went away, that you have several bedrooms, and outhouses. Is there any chance we could convert one of those into a house for Graham and his family. In return we could transfer him to your staff – he is a good fighter, and sensible. I think he will fit in with your current staff. You could do with an 'action-hero' type now Jack has left'

'Can I get back to you on that Martha? It is the second staffing proposal I have had today, let me think it over, and I'll get back in touch.

'Okay.'

Martha rang off, but Gwen didn't put the phone down.

'What to you think? She asked the computer.'

'Tonikans are generally peaceable, and their language does not allow lies, which has to be a good sign. I have looked at his service record with UNIT, and it is quite impressive. His real name is Grammalilinnifallixo, his wife is Harnettissimimo, but they call her Harriet. He has worked well at UNIT for more than five years, and appears to get on well with all his mess mates – which for an alien working for UNIT is pretty unusual. I recommend that you speak to them, and make up your own mind.

Gwen's first impression of Graham was not favourable. He looked too ordinary to be a Torchwood employee, medium height, not over muscled, nor too thin. Then she grinned at him, realising that this was what he was aiming for – a perfect disguise, most people would look at him, then away without even noticing him.

They met close to his flat, because he wanted to sound her out before introducing her to his family, but he did not take long to introduce Gwen to his wife, Harriet and his baby daughter Grace.

Once they were safe in their flat, with the windows drawn, Graham and Grace assumed their natural form. Gwen steeled herself to accept this change once they had warned her, and found it easier than she had expected. Yes they were alien, but their expressions were similar to human ones and quickly she found she was ignoring the differences, and discussing the possibility of their moving to Cardiff with enthusiasm. When the baby awoke, Gwen and she were introduced. Although the four arms were more obvious as the baby thrashed about, Gwen could not ignore the pure cuteness of Grace, and cuddled her happily. She was never sure whether her pregnancy caused her to be more aware of maternal feelings, or whether she would find Grace just as loveable anyway, but she was quicker than she had initially planned in offering Graham a chance to meet the rest of the team, and she was already trying to isolate in her mind which of their bases outbuildings would convert to living quarters most easily, aware that the family would not necessarily want to be in the base all the time, any more than she and Rhys did.

Graham soon proved himself to be a useful member of the team, and was valuable as a field agent, and Gwen was not the only member of staff who occasionally dropped in on the family to cuddle Grace.

There was another advantage to the Tonikan involvement with Torchwood. Dr. Plummer soon had Graham teaching their language to members of staff – at least enough to say 'fine, well, not very well, it hurts and bad' They soon found the impossibility of lying in Tonikan and were forced to give honest answers when she asked them how they felt, or how an injury was progressing. The Doctor assured Gwen that it saved her a lot of probing. Gwen was not so sure – Dr. Plummer was looking after Gwen's antenatal care!

*The Pharm was seen in 'Reset'


	9. Chapter 9

The Rebuild

Chapter 9

Gwen was on her own in the base when the alarm sounded. Luke had gone to a local pub with Clyde and Rani who had come over from London to visit him, Graham was home with his family, and it was the first day off that Dr. Plummer had taken in three weeks. She switched on the monitors and saw a group of weevils congregated around something which lay on the ground. Gwen called Graham, who was on standby and took their weapons from the weapons store. They headed for the city centre, finding four of the weevils surrounding a body.

'Any idea what that is?'

Gwen asked hopefully, knowing that Graham's knowledge of aliens was the best in the team by far.

'We call it a 'strubend' I don't know if humans have a word for it.

'Well it seems to be dead, we need to get the weevils away from it'

Graham pulled out an aerosol can, and they quickly subdued the beasts, taking the partly eaten Strubend away from them.

'Ugh!' Gwen groaned 'I vote we put this in the lab fridge. Plummer can look at it tomorrow.'

'Right Boss' Graham agreed cheerfully, lifting the body into the van they were using. It didn't have the style of the SUV, but it was less noticeable, which they didn't consider a bad thing.

By the time they returned, Luke was in the kitchen, tucking into the biscuits they kept in there for him. Why he didn't look like Billy Bunter she never understood. Rani and Clyde were with him, and Clyde helped Graham store the body.

'Any idea what that was, Mr Jones?' Luke asked.

'Exillon, or so the Doctor called it. It must have come through the rift, I have never heard of one on Earth before.'

'Oh well, more paperwork.' Gwen sighed and headed for her office.

As she went in, something moved. Still armed, Gwen pointed her gun at the intruder. With all the security devices they had in place, it should have been impossible for anyone to be in there without warning.


	10. Chapter 10

The Rebuild

Chapter 10

The man was tall, and clearly fit. He had a crew cut, and his clothes were obviously expensive and fit him neatly.

'Whoo, hoo, sorry lady. Didn't mean to startle you'

The accent was British with a faint tinge of Scottish.

Gwen looked more closely, the face looked familiar, but she could not place it.

'Who are you?'

'My name's Gerrard Churchward.' He looked at her closely, and Gwen stared back, still trying to place him.

The man continued 'You're not concentrating, Gwen'

The grin gave him away.

'Jack'

Gwen ran over to hug him.

'No, Gerrard. Jack is travelling the world remember, call me Gerrard. Do you still have a job going?'

Gwen pretended to consider it.

'Only if you fit in with our other staff'

'I'll take my chances'

'Do you want to use one of the rooms?'

'Please'

As she took him up, she told him about the other team members she had recruited, and about the alien they had discovered that night.

She bumped into Jack as he stopped on the stairs.

'What the…'

Gwen looked past him

'That's Graham. He doesn't always look like that, but that's his natural form.'

'Oh, sorry. Hi Graham, I'm Gerrard.'

'Hi, Gerrard'

Graham shot a look at Gwen, showing his distrust.

'Old friend,' Gwen explained. 'Of me, and of Torchwood. He will be hanging around for a while'

'Oh. Okay then' Gerrard was clearly not sure about that, but willing to accept Gwen's words. He changed back to his human form, and carried on past them.

'I'll introduce you properly in the morning,' she promised both men.

It was a tradition in the new Torchwood that whoever took the night shift finished off, if alien activity permitted, by cooking breakfast for all the staff, and bringing them up to date on anything that had happened overnight.

Gwen was pleased that 'Gerard' joined them, and hurriedly described the weevil attack, mainly for Plummer's benefit, knowing that it would be her job to examine the dead alien. Having fulfilled that duty she introduced Gerard to them. Both Luke and Lois were quicker on the uptake than she was, and looked at her, receiving back a quick head shake of negation, that would not have been noticed by the others.

'Gerard is joining us for a while. He has worked for Torchwood before, and knows what we do, and mostly, how we do it, although I may have to update him a little.' She smiled, knowing that her methods were not always the same as Jack's would have been, although they were similar.

Dr. Plummer and Graham left. The others stayed, wanting to know why Jack had suddenly reappeared.

When Gwen gestured to him to tell them, Jack explained that from now on he should be called only Gerard. He reckoned his 'disguise' was enough to fool anyone who didn't know him, as long as he did not relax it, which he had no intention of doing. As he had told Gwen earlier, she would still be in charge, he would just be a worker there, which would help disguise him from people who knew about Torchwood.

His co-workers accepted this far more easily than he had expected, and with the exception of Gwen addressed him as 'Gerard' from then on. Eventually he managed to train Gwen and Rhys to treat him as a new friend, and use his new name.

To Gwen's amazement, he did not try to take over the organisation, and let her continue to lead. Occasionally he questioned her decisions, but in fairness no more than the others did, keeping up the Torchwood tradition of not making the boss's job easy in any way.

A month or two later Gwen had a phone call. Gerard was in the room with her at the time, and noticed her expression

'What's up?'

'That was Jack' her voice faltered on the name. 'He was wondering if we had found his vortex manipulator in the rubble'

Gerard shrugged 'I have it, but I am not using it – it would be too much of a giveaway if I wore it, one of the few links I have with my formal self.'

'Do you want me to tell him that we still have it.'

'Yes, give it to him, it is wasted here. But don't let him know about me'

'Okay. He has asked me to meet him out of town. And Rhys'

She looked uncertain.

'Go. I don't mind. Tell him Rhys replaced the strap – it was broken when I found it. He took it from his back pocket and handed it to her.'

Although it was a pang, he had had that bit of machinery for a long time, Jack was truthful when he said he didn't mind. Although he missed Ianto, and to a lesser extent Tosh and Owen, Cardiff was his home now, he didn't want to go travelling in space any more (unless his Doctor turned up).

Later Gwen told him that it was the finest bit of acting she had ever done, pleading with Jack to stay, and hoping he wouldn't, understanding his need to escape the guilt. Anyway, she didn't think she could cope with two Jacks on her team!

Epilogue 

Torchwood had by now become a unit. Gwen had a baby, little Geraint, named after her father, but after a short maternity leave she returned to work, although the whole team refused to allow her to work nights, or to overdo the action stuff while Geraint was still an infant, occasionally he and Grace would play together, either in the base or at Graham's house, and she knew that he would grow up with none of the prejudice common on Earth.

She and Rhys and Geraint effectively had two homes now. The house they had bought on the outskirts of Cardiff, and a home, similar to the one they had prepared for Graham and Harriet within Torchwood's grounds.

Gwen was just basking in the happiness of working there when the phone rang. UNIT had spotted a Hoix in Victoria Park. Sighing, she summoned the troops and Torchwood swung into action again.


End file.
